Sorry - I need to whine.....

[Coyote_Bandit]

During the last fund drive I lost my star. Happened so quick. It had lived its normal life expectancy and just went away.

I wasn't able to donate because I broke a tooth (upper back molar) the day before Thanksgiving and had to get a crown. Tooth abscessed before the dental lab completed the crown and I got a root canal which was completed just a few days after Christmas. Yeah, the holidays were a lot of fun this year.

I've contributed to DU in the past and I intended to donate to DU during this very fund drive. I miss the search function. And the groups. But that is not to be. At least not now.

It appears my root canal has failed. Apparently I have an additional root which is prolapsed. The endodontist used a microscope while performing the procedure but did not adequately treat this particular root. The tooth aches and is pretty sensitive and I am running a fever.

Whatever the dentist and endodontist end up recommending will be expensive - and painful. Apparently my mouth is small (!!!) which does not bode well for successful oral surgery to cut the tip of the nerve. Re-rooting the tooth is more likely to fail than the original procedure (and it costs about 50% more than the original procedure). Which makes extraction and an implant an option.

There is not much I miss about the job I lost - except the health and dental insurance and the cafeteria plan. Matter of fact, there is not much about corporate Amerika that I miss.

Since being laid off I have collected lots of rejection letters and I have come to the conclusion that there is no longer a place in the traditional workplace for a highly educated (BA, MA, MBA, JD), forty something, single professional female who finds it necessary to begin a new career - and happens to be a decidedly non-religious red state liberal.

I've been picking up what consulting work I can and trying to learn new skills and re-invent myself. I was hoping to start a new business with my brother who is facing his own career challenges. I have something in particular in mind and his skills would complement mine. I will need to relocate but that is okay. I've had the opportunity to do some consulting with a similar business here. I have a feel for the business aspects involved but I know I still need to refine some of my newly acquired technical skills. I'm working on that.

Life's a bitch. I try to be thankful and realize that I am fortunate. I am not homeless. I am not destitute. Or starving. There are many, many people who face far worse situations and far more difficult challenges. I have the ability to work hard and to re-invent myself - and I must do so. Corporate Amerika has used what they want of me and has cast me aside. But they do not determine my worth and I will not permit them to dictate my future.

I'm going to take lots of ibuprofen and go to class tonight. Tomorrow I will keep my client meetings. And the next day and the next day. And I will do whatever I have to do to fix the tooth so I can feel better and stop whining.

Thanks to those of you who made it to the end of this. Pay me no mind. I know I shouldn't but I'm feeling sorry for myself today. And in some odd way posting this reinforces my determination to survive and thrive despite what life throws at me.

Carry on.

[skygazer]

1. Sometimes you just need to vent

and get some pressure out of your system. Being without health care is such a huge stressor and sometimes it's okay to just feel sorry for yourself. Then you pick yourself up, dust off and get back to surviving.

I know all about that. Good luck to you. :hug:

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. Thanks

for the understanding and the good wishes. A heart of gratitude for you....

[BlackVelvet04]

2. Nothing hurts quite like a toothache....

having a small mouth seems to make all dental work harder and more expensive. I always have to go to a specialist because of it.

I hope your career path works out for you. I'm rather in the same process of trying to reinvent myself. I've been out of work for 3 months. I've put in for jobs I could do sleeping and haven't had any responses.

Good luck. Hope you feel better soon.

[Coyote_Bandit]

8. I hope

you have success in your job hunt. Don't let anyone discourage you or try to define or limit you. Thanks for the good wishes. A hear of gratitude for you. I too miss hearing the coyotes howl at night.

[BlackVelvet04]

16. Why, thank you sweetie.....

we actually have coyotes moving into areas fairly close to us here in VA.

Take care.

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. Wow!!!!!

Hearts and stars!!! And a lot of nice warm fuzzies.

Thank you all. I am always touched by the generosity of strangers. I will pay it forward. Promise.

[BlackVelvet04]

5. PS

I miss hearing coyotes in the middle of the night.

[Katherine Brengle]

4. Dental work sucks - I even have dental insurance and it isn't going to cover

any of the things I need done this year beyong removal.

I literally feel your pain.

Glad you got a star - people around here are good like that.

[Coyote_Bandit]

9. Yes I agree

dental work sucks. I hope whatever you need to have done is more successful and less painful and less expensive than my recent experience. Thanks for your understanding. A heart of gratitude for you.

And, yes, the folks here at DU are good. In many, many different ways.

[wildhorses]

6. ---

:hug:

[Coyote_Bandit]

11. It doesn't get much better than that

A hug! A heart of gratitude for you...

[Shine]

10. Gratitude is key.

what you appreciate, appreciates. Like you said, you've got a lot going for you.

:hug: Sorry about your tooth pain, though. :hug:

[Coyote_Bandit]

12. Absolutely

I may not be getting what I want and need out of life right now and that is painful in a lot of ways but I know that I am very very fortunate and I am grateful for that. Thanks for the hugs! A heart of gratitude for you...

[Shine]

13. I am reminded of the line in the classic Rolling Stone song...

"You can't always get what you want, you get what you need." Wise words, indeed.

I am of the belief that life never gives us more than we are capable of handling...and sometimes, dammit, we are capable of handling a LOT and so that's what shows up!! heheheh. It's hard, but it's what makes us grow and evolve.

The bottom line is, in times of darkness we are called to remember the light of who we are. :hug:

[Coyote_Bandit]

14. Remembering the light of who we are

I like that. It has a certain poetry to it.

[Shine]

15. Shine on, baby! Shine on....

:loveya:

[raccoon]

21. I am reminded of the line in the Bruce Springsteen song...

"There's things that'll knock you down you don't even see coming."

(from song WHEN YOU'RE ALONE)

[Coyote_Bandit]

25. Yep

and sometimes the first punch was just a set up. Its the follow up that gets you. Obviously, I'm still working on that "float like a butterfly" thing....

[allinktup]

17. I'm so sorry

I know what you are going through though... well kind of. I worked in a casino for 7 years dealing craps. About two years ago I was in a car accident and really messed up my back. I was bedridden for about 6 months, during which time I put on about 80 pounds. I got jerked around by the doctors, by the insurance companies and eventually got evicted from my apartment. Well, I had to move back home with my family and started swimming every day until I was able to drop the weight. So, after seeing more doctors, I got the all clear to get my commercial drivers license (CDL) I was single so I figured I would just be a truck driver; hated working at the casino anyway. So, I took the training, took out a 7k loan for it, and got my license. (very hard by the way) Anyway, I lasted a week on the road before my back completely went out. Fortunately, I met the love of my life while I was driving and have been living happily ever after ever since. So... I guess my point to all this is that you never know what is really in store for you. I truly believe everything does happen for a reason, adn that everything is going to turn out for you. God Bless.

INK

[Coyote_Bandit]

18. I can't say

I know what having severe back pain is like. I know a guy here who has a genetic degenerative spinal condition. He had his first spinal fusion at the age of 33. He needs another, is unable to work, has no health insurance and after nearly three is still awaiting the disposition of his disability claim. I can see his pain. I can imagine yours. I'm glad you found your silver lining. Thanks for the encouragement. A heart of gratitude for you....

[Connonym]

19. :( Sorry about your toothache

I agree with the person above who said that a toothache is one of the worst kinds of pain. Hope you feel better soon and it doesn't end up costing a small fortune.

[Coyote_Bandit]

20. I've already

spent that small fortune on this very same tooth. It's spending the next small fortune on it that really concerns me. Thanks for the good wishes. The tooth feels about the same today as it did yesterday. But I feel better - and less whiney. No doubt that is due at least in part to the kindness of folks here at DU. And the tolerance of those who indulged my fit of whining. My last heart of gratitude for you....

[Connonym]

23. aww thanks :)

[raccoon]

22. Coyote, I'm sorry this happened to you.

I lost a molar because I needed a root canal and had no income and no insurance at the time.

Pain from your teeth is, IMO, one of the worst kinds of pain there is.

YOu mentioned the possibility of an implant. I've had one and have been real happy with it.

Do you live near the US-Mexico border? Check out this thread.

"I'm outsourcing my Dentist next week"

That's right, they've just priced me out of the market. I fractured a molar last year while I was working for Target for $7.50 an hour with no benefits, and I could not afford to get it fixed. It is now starting to hurt like fire, and I need a crown and possibly a root canal treatment. Three years ago when I lived and worked in Houston, with dental insurance, I got a crown on a fractured molar for $750 out of pocket. Holy moly, that's a lot of money! And that's just for the crown, no root canal, and that's with insurance paying part of the price. Now I have a better paying job, but still no dental insurance, and I cannot afford to pay about $1500+ for my dental care. For ONE tooth. So, I've asked around to some of my friends about going south of the border to Mexico.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x197931

[Coyote_Bandit]

24. Fascinating

I'm not surprised.

I have a friend who has lived in the Oaxacca province for over fifteen years. She is a physical therapist trained at Columbia University. She works with an American trained and licensed masters level registered nurse. Together they work with a Mexican physician. They largely work with indigenous and very poor peoples. My friend typically returns to the states during the summer months and works a few weeks to help support her humanitarian work and to maintain her marketable skills in this market. Before doing this she served in the Peace Corps. The group she works with is a privately sponsored religious group.

Our economy is largely dependent on consumption. Consumer spending is by far the largest component of gross domestic product. Labor is worth less and less here. So laborers have less purchasing power. The inevitable result of labor outsourcing is the outsourcing of consumption. Globalization will ultimately result in rich nations becoming poorer and poor nations becoming richer. Theoretically, the final product of globalization will be a single worldwide standard of living.

Thanks for the link. Glad your dental challenges were successfully and happily resolved.